15 Famous Alumni From Georgia State University

Did you know that there are so many famous alumni from Georgia State University? Georgia State is proud to have taught actors, atheletes, CEOs and more! Georgia State students are in great company.

1. Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts, is an Academy Award winning actress, born in Smyrna, Georgia. Her first major acting role in Mystic Pizza (1988) and her performance garnered positive reviews from film critics. Mystic Pizza soon became a film with a “cult-like” following. Although, Mystic Pizza was Roberts’s first film, Pretty Woman (1990) placed her on the the list of various award nominations that year, including an Academy Award for Best Actress and winning a Golden Globe.

2. Ludacris

Ludacris (born Christopher Bridges) is a Grammy Award winning hip hop artist and actor best known for his role in the Fast & Furious franchise films, as Tej Parker. Alongside his music manager, Bridges, created Disturbin’ Tha Peace, a record company created alongside parent company Def Jam Recordings.

3. Mike-Will-Made-It

Mike-Will Made-It is a Marietta, Ga., native music producer who is most notably known for creating trap beats for hip hop artists such as Rae Sremmurd, 2 Chainz and the GOOD Music crew, a group of artists who are signed to hip hop artist Kanye West’s record label, (Getting Out Our Dreams) GOOD Music Inc.

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4. RJ Hunter

R.J. Hunter is an American basketball player who currently plays shooting guard for the Chicago Bulls. Hunter played collegiate basketball for Georgia State University. After college, Hunter was drafted as first-round-draft pick for the Boston Celtics.

5. Melissa Ordway

Melissa Ordway is an American actress and model born in Snellville,Ga. Her first acting gigs started while participating in high school theatre productions at her local high school. Ordway has recently starred in the U.S. television soap opera, The Young and the Restless.

6. Tamyra Gray

Tamyra Gray is an American singer and actress. Gray competed on the first season of American Idol, placing in 4th place. After her appearance on Idol, Gray started work on Broadway and television, making various cameos in shows such as Boston Public. Mostly Gray can be seen in Rachel Getting Married.

7. Ken Lewis

Ken Lewis is the former President, CEO and chairman of Bank of America, the second largest bank in the country, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.

8. Lynn Westmoreland

Lynn Westmoreland (born Leon A. Westmoreland) is the current Georgia State Representative for the 8th district. Westmoreland has been serving in this position since 2005. He is apart of the Republican Party.

9. Jody Powell

Jody Powell was the White House Press Secretary for President Jimmy Carter during his administration. After his White House position, he founded Powell and Tate, alongside Shelia Tate, former White House Press Secretary to former First Lady Nancy Regan. Powell and Tate is a public relations firm based in Washington D.C.

10. Tam O’ Shaughnessy

Tam O’ Shaughnessy is a children’s science fiction writer and a former professional tennis player. She received her Bachelor and Masters degrees in Biology at Georgia State University. O’Shaughnessy also created a non-profit organization, Sally Ride Science, alongside Sally Ride, an American astronaut.

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11. Sam Massell

From 1970 to 1974, Sam Massell served as the 53rd Atlanta mayor. Receiving his Bachelor’s of Science degree in 1951 by Georgia State University, Massell has since served in various leadership positions around Georgia.

12. David Buchanan

David Buchanan is a professional MLB player for the Philadelphia Phillies. An Atlanta native, Buchanan, attended Fayette County High School. After high school, Buchanan enrolled into a local college, receiving several accolades for his baseball achievements. In 2009, instead of signing with the New York Mets, Buchanan decided to attend Georgia State University. Buchanan signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2010.

13. David Adelman

David Adelman was the former United States Ambassador to Singapore. Adelman holds many degrees from three different Georgia collegiate institutions. In 1995, Adelman, received a Masters of Public Administration degree from Georgia State University. Adelman was once awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award, by Georgia State University. Currently, Adelman serves as a partner in the New York based global law firm, Reed Smith LLC. He also travels to the Asia based offices of Reed Smith, in Hong Kong and Singapore.

14. Katrina “Kat” Cole

Kat Cole is an American businesswoman most notably known for being the founder of Cinnabon pastries franchises. In 2010, Cole received her Masters of Business Administration degree from Georgia State University. GSU is one of the few American universities which allows its experienced students to enter its business school without receiving a Bachelor’s degree. Cole is an example of such students. While in the program, she asked various CEOs of different companies for letters of recommendation, including Ted Turner, CEO and founder of TBS and CNN.

15. D.W. Pine

D.W. Pine is the current design director of TIME Magazine. As a student of Georgia State University, Pine served as editor-in-chief, news editor and sportswriter of The Signal, Georgia State’s weekly newspaper.